First Native Spring Flower & Sit Spot - February 21, 2020

I was excited to find the first real native spring flower early this afternoon.  I always start looking in early February these days in hope of finding it in bloom. It blooms in very wet, muddy places near water and can be very messy to find as the weather gets warmer; however, it is a plant that can melt its way through ice and snow so now is a good time to look and not be so muddy. Yes, it is the Skunk Cabbage and is one of the stranger "flowers" to be found. Below is a look at a plant that has melted its way through the ice but is not yet flowering.

Close to this plant, I found a set of several others that were flowering.

The way I check for flowering is to poke my littlest finger down into the spathe to see if I can get any pollen on my finger.

As you can see, I did get pollen,

Below is a photo looking into the spathe where one can see the pollen on the spadix.

Skunk Cabbage (aka Eastern Skunk Cabbage)

chou puant

(Symplocarpus foetus)

February 21, 2020 5:57 p.m.

Sit 391 Brush Pile E  Clear 

-2° (-9°) SW 30-43 kph  59% humidity 

Wind sighing through the trees,

Tree branches creaking & popping in wind,

(Jet, traffic noise)

(JetSuite Air flight 307...)

Extras:

Rabbit by old chicken coop 

Blue Jays,

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves  

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Starlings,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Grey Squirrels.

Photo Site #2 - East Willow